Stray Thoughts Sunday on a Monday…

I feel like it is okay to do my Stray Thoughts Sunday post this Monday because it is a holiday. So, that means it really is just like a Sunday, right? Yeah…that’s it. Well, since I’m so late with it, I will jump right in to this week’s wondering thoughts…

In my past life, I was a HUGE X-Files fan. Well, up until the final season, when Mulder was gone, it was hard to stick it out. But, I made it all the way to the final season. I even saw the movies more than once and owned the soundtracks. I can’t believe it was 12 years ago last Monday that the finale aired, but in other ways it seems like a lifetime ago. Sigh…I miss Mulder and Scully…

This article about the new 9/11 museum in NYC from the perspective of a family member of a victim is pretty powerful, depressing and significant. I know there has been a lot of criticisms of the gift shop experience there, but I think the perspective of a family member brings it to a whole new level.

Where will all this lead? I know that many suggest we are going down a slippery slope that will have no moral boundaries. To those who truly harbor such fears, I can only say this: Let us look less to the sky to see what might fall; rather, let us look at each other…and rise.

Found out that Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me is going to be in SF (just a short 3.5 hour drive from my home) ON my birthday in July. It seemed like it was meant to be. I was thinking about getting tickets for myself and my sister (who also listens to the show most weekends) since her birthday is only a month after mine. This is one of my favorite NPR shows and that says a lot since I kind of have an NPR obsession. But, alas, the tickets sold out faster than I could make a damned decision, so it looks like another boring birthday at home. Sad face…

This picture of my daughter’s preschool class during bike week makes me smile. They are like a rag-tag girl “biker” gang ready to roll into some unsuspecting park and show the boys what they are made of. Happy face…

And since I wrote my Master’s thesis on a female anti-war agitator, I have some knowledge of the Sedition Act and the government’s authority to censor speakers for reasons of National Security. I also have some knowledge about how that power has been used to silence those who criticize the government, even when the connections to National Security are specious at best. But, even with that knowledge, this news about legislation in North Carolina that would make it a felony to expose information like the chemicals used in fracking seems pretty amazing…and concerning…and completely over the top. At least it got watered down a bit before passing.

I will admit I was completely shocked by the news that three of the top ten cities in the NATION for hunger are in California. Bakersfield (my hubby’s hometown) is number one, Fresno is number five and Riverside is number six. You can learn this and more by playing the game “A Place at the Table” from TakePart.com. Food insecurity is a serious problem in America. As much so in some areas as it is in what we would consider to be underdeveloped nations. It is really sad when I think about the waste our little family produces on a weekly basis. I want to be much more aware and thoughtful about this issue moving forward.

This guy came to visit our house this week. I found him hanging on the front door frame one morning. Turns out he is a jumping spider, but I didn’t see him jump at all. I thought the face on his back was a little creepy, but I just shewed him out to the front porch wall and hopefully he lives on to catch the pesky flies that are constantly coming in our house and who I find to be way more annoying than any spider!

I was disappointed in myself when I decided to turn in early rather than stay up for what was promised to be a spectacular meteor shower. As it turns out, I made the right decision. It was a total bust. Glad I didn’t miss my sleep for that.

And to close out this week’s Stray Thoughts Sunday on a Monday…I finally have definitive proof that I am not OLD! This HuffPost article provides the evidence and says that I have another 35 years before I get old. So there all you people who ask if I am Bean’s grandmother! I’m a spring chicken! Now, if only I could convince my body and energy level of that truth…

I hope you all had a great week – share any of your Stray Thoughts with me in the comments! I would love to see what causes other people’s thoughts to stray.

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Published by Chico Speech Coach

Idea gardener. Public speaking and argument instructor. Dir. of Intercollegiate Speech and Debate at CSU Chico. I have been a Communications Studies instructor and an Intercollegiate Speech and Debate coach for over two decades. I love being able to give individuals a confident and effective voice they can use in their lives. In addition, I have always enjoyed research and writing and helping to develop ideas by guiding students to the sources that will grow those ideas into something special. Information Literacy is a key part of our technological society and I believe it makes for lifelong learners.
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